Real Soacha claimed a 3-1 victory against Popayán in the Clausura stage three fixture on Wednesday evening. The hosts moved further away from the relegation zone with this result. It was a day where the final whistle brought relief as much as celebration.
The match opened with a physical edge, evident in the bookings exchanged before the break. A yellow card went to the hosts in the sixteenth minute, followed quickly by one for Popayán’s G. Saavedra at the nineteen-minute mark. J. Suaza joined the list of cautioned players in the thirty-seventh minute, and the referee added another booking for the home side just before halftime. By then, the tempo was already set for a tight contest.
The deadlock was broken in the fifty-third minute when M. Ortegon found the net for the hosts. Popayán responded promptly, with O. Acosta equalising in the sixtieth minute. The visitors looked capable of taking points, but Real Soacha regained control through J. Cuero’s strike in the eighty-third minute. J. Fernandez sealed the win shortly after, scoring in the eighty-ninth minute to make it three-one.
The turning point arrived late in the game when O. Acosta was shown a red card in the ninetieth minute. The away manager would have been left flat-footed by that decision, leaving his team short-handed for the dying moments. The incident ensured that Popayán could not mount a late comeback. It was a costly error for the visitors who had pushed hard until the final whistle.
The result leaves Real Soacha twelfth in the standings with twenty-four points from twenty-two games. Popayán remain fourteenth on eighteen points after twenty-one matches. The hosts have shown resilience recently, coming off a draw against Real Cartagena. Popayán’s form has been inconsistent, highlighted by a narrow win against Tigres in their last outing.
